Aviary // Joshler

// CHAPTER FOUR

Dinner came not long after Tyler had finished packing. The driver sat at one end of the table, while Miss Lindsey sat at the head. Sitting proud and regal, she looked almost like a mother duck amongst her troop of baby ducklings.

Except, all the ducklings were human, and they had supernatural abilities, and they could handle a fork and knife properly.

The woman introduced each of the seven children to Tyler, stating their name and age. Jenna was the oldest, at eighteen, while Sarah was the youngest, at thirteen. Miss Lindsey didn't state anyone's gifts, but it was pretty clear by looking at most of them.

Ryan, as it turned out, was not quite human. Seeing as he sat next to Tyler on one side, he got a closer view of the boy and realized that he was not made of flesh and bone like the other children, but cotton and fabric. It didn't make much sense, but Ryan was a living, walking, breathing doll, and a realistic one at that. Probably from ten or so feet away, you wouldn't be able to tell, but once you got closer, you could see the stitches and threads. It was a little strange, but the boy himself seemed nice, just shy.

It was obvious what Sarah's abilities were, as well. Tiny pink flowers sprouted everywhere she touched, from her fork to her glass to the tablecloth. There were also delicate flowers and vines in small patches here and there on her dress. She looked like a Disney princess, almost, with her narrow face, curly hair, and bright eyes. At least, once you paired that with the flowers.

Jenna had something crawling through her hair, which, after staring for a few minutes, Tyler realized was multiple moths. In fact, there were several scattered across her body--one on her wrist, one on her cheek, and one on the sleeve of her shirt. Maybe she was empathetic with them like Tyler was with birds.

Most of the other children, though--their powers were harder to decipher. Pete and Patrick, for instance. Patrick didn't speak once, only gave Tyler a shy wave. Pete, too, seemed absolutely normal. The boy had absolutely no idea what his abilities were.

Tyler paused in his thinking to shake his head slightly. He was feeling a little dizzy all of a sudden.

"I can read people's thoughts," Pete said, looking straight at Tyler, and the boy practically jumped out of his seat. "And Patrick can hear anything and everything."

"Pete, we've talked about this," Miss Lindsey scolded. "Don't intrude on the minds of others, not without permission."

"Sorry, Miss Lindsey." Pete looked down, a little embarrassed, and gave Tyler an apologetic smile. 

Well. That was something. At least he had dizziness as a warning.

It left only one person whose powers he was unsure of--Josh. The boy had no creatures crawling about his body, no obviously different features. Tyler studied him slightly over his mashed potatoes. Josh had dark brown eyes, a lip ring, and gages in his ears. He looked...a little tough, actually, but Tyler didn't find it intimidating, only interesting.

"Josh, no hats at the table, please," Miss Lindsey reminded the boy. Josh mumbled an apology under his breath, and lifted his hat from his head, tossing it onto the floor behind him.

Tyler almost gasped out loud. Josh's hair wasn't brown, or black, or blonde: his hair was a brilliant, bright yellow, like a lemon at the peak of ripeness, or the sun on a hot summer day. It seemed to almost swirl with color, and Tyler was entranced by it immediately.

It probably wasn't his special gift, but--and Tyler found himself a little surprised to admit this--it was actually rather...beautiful.